“How long has this been going on?”
“Um.” I didn’t know precisely. “For a while.”
“I cannot allow you to do this to yourself.” Oakley took the cleaning rag from my hand and set it on the counter. “It’s not fair. I’d like to go punch the lights out of that company that’s doing this to you, but I think I have an alternative solution. Do you trust me?”
I blinked at him through bleary eyes. “Of course I trust you. I’m just so tired, and I don’t know what to do anymore. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake.”
“That’s exhaustion talking.” Oakley took me by the shoulders and walked me to the staircase. “You’re going upstairs and going right to sleep. I will be back in five hours, and we will fix this, okay?”
“How?”
“Trusting me, remember?”
“Right.” Even the suggestion of a solution gave me hope. So I trudged up the stairs, kicked off my shoes, and crawled into bed. The next thing I knew, a horn was honking outside. Staggering to the window, I saw a rental truck outside, Oakley standing next to it.
“Come on down, Auburn! We have to get going.”
I cleaned up quickly, changed into jeans and a T-shirt, and went out to join him. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re on the road. Hop in and have some breakfast. We need to be at our destination in four hours.”
The sweet omega had brought us buns and coffee from my favorite new breakfast spot, and as he steered the truck onto the highway, I sipped at the steaming brew. “Now, will you tell me?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to take a chance that you wouldn’t agree, so I waited to tell you. I have been calling around, trying to find the items you needed and I wound up right back where you’ve been having trouble. But, I went over the heads of the assholes who’ve been giving you the runaround and spoke to corporate.”
“I never thought of that.”
“No. Because you’re too nice. I worked my way up to the big boss and explained what was going on. He started the company nearly fifty years ago and has customer service as his most important principle. When he heard what was happening, he had his assistant pull your order, see what remained, and then check the inventory of every warehouse in the country.”
“Oakley, you really did? And what happened?”
“They found what you needed at several places, the closest one four hours away. They could have delivered it in a couple of days…or weeks ago. But, I wanted you to be able to rest, so I rented this truck and the order is waiting for you at the warehouse. We get it today.”
“Omega!”
“I know. I’m a genius.” He chuckled. “You may buy me lunch before we come back as a thank-you.”
“I will also pay for your expenses, especially this truck. And did you take a day off work?”
“I swapped schedules with someone, so I’m fine.”
My mood had gone from sad to hopeful, but after everything this company had put me through, I would believe it when we had the parts in our truck. I just hoped after everything Oakley did, they didn’t weren’t lying.
But I did like riding along with him. We took turns driving and talked the whole way about other things. Hopes and dreams, our pasts. It was a great first road trip, even if the end did not happen the way we wanted.
To my shock, when we pulled into the huge warehouse yard, the security at the gate had my name and directed me to a loading bay. He gave us a look I couldn’t decipher and called someone to say we were there.
“Someone” was the older gentleman in khaki pants and a button-down who sat in a folding chair on the loading dock and came down the steps on the side as we parked and got out.
“Which one of you is Oakley?” he asked.
“Me, sir.” Oakley approached him, hand extended. “Are you Mr. Murphy?”
“I am. And I’ve never been so ashamed of the company I founded as I am today.”
Oakley introduced me, and while a team was loading what remained of my order and a few other things I found later that he threw in, he handed me a receipt.
“I have refunded your entire order and hope that you will not tell the whole world how badly we screwed up. I had taken a step back from the business, intending to let my sons take charge, but I happened to be here when Oakley called. My assistant informs me it was not the first call, just the first one that got to me. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and please send me a bill for your expenses in having to pick up your own order, including your time.”
